Pleasures of Reading ; Essay
Man is pleasure loving. He seeks pleasure in
every thing. In so many things pleasure is great motive force. For the sake of
pleasure man cultivates hobbies, he plays various types of games, goes to
cinema, undertakes adventures, sets out on travel and trips and pursues this or
that. At the root of all these activates lies pleasure, joy or entertainment.
After hard work and toil it is natural that one seeks amusement and
entertainment. It is said that men of leisure are men of pleasure. In spare
hours men want to enjoy and seek pleasure. Man does not live by bread alone.
bread and butter is a basic need because it sustains and keep people alive. But
what after bread? Then comes pleasure, hobby, entertainment, or amusement.
Leisure and pleasure go together they are inseparable.
There are various means and sources of
pleasure. But the pleasure got from reading is the best. The pleasure we get
from reading books, newspapers, magazines etc. is unique in so many ways. It
provides us with the widest possible range of pleasurable reading material you
have a whole world to choose from. There are stores, novels, fiction,
biographies, travelogues, books of poetry, dramas, plays, histories, and so on
and so forth. The list is endless. There is enough room for men and women of
every taste and liking. If you like reading novels, there are detective novels,
novels of adventure, novels based on pure fancy and imagination, novels based on
history, novels depicting rural and village life, novels dealing with
complexities of human behavior and psychology. You can select the subject to
suit your taste and leisure time at your disposal. The variety is endless and it
is variety that adds spice to life.
Books are written by masterminds and authors.
They represent the essence of human wisdom, experience and achievement. They
contain best thoughts, ideas, concepts and imagination which very much enrich
the lives of their readers. That is why it is said, ''it makes a full man. ''It
is this fullness which sets this pleasure apart from other pleasures. Books
reflect the society they hold mirror to the life. They bring us in contact with
great minds of the past and present. And in the process some of the greatness is
rubbed off to the readers. Books enable us to know the best of our culture,
history, civilization and the whole world. They inspire noble thoughts, develop
character, make a man a real man in the true sense of the term. Books are the
real repositories of our best thoughts and ideas.
Other types of pleasures require
company, association of other persons which may not be readily available. But
reading does away with dependence on others. Here you are your own master. You
can enjoy reading any time at any place without any hesitation. When you are
alone, books provide you with the best company. They are always at your command
and disposal. You can read in a train, bus, garden, a corner of your room, in
the library or even while eating. Reading provides a recreation which is not
only healthy but also such as can be recreated again and again and yet again.
You can pass on this pleasure to others as well. For example, you like a poem,
then you can commit it to memory recite it whenever you like. you can teach it
to others. It is always with you to inspire, encourage, advise, instruct and, if
need, be warn you.
Reading multiplies our pleasure and lessens
our pain and sorrow. In these days of strain, stress, blood pressure and heart
problems, there cannot be a better way of relaxation, entertainment and
refreshment than reading. Reading makes you absorbed in a new wonderful world.
If you have a reading habit you are never alone, sad and companionship. The
characters of novels, stories, poems and biographies are there always with
you. And you are ever conversing, talking, discussing and rubbing shoulders with
these wonderful characters men women, and children. Their variety, habits,
personal traits, faces and callings make a fascinating world to enjoy. They
elevate us, purgative us of our faults instill in us noble and high thoughts and
urge us to achieve something nobler, higher, better and more sublime. Milton
called them precious life blood of master spirits. ''Therefore, trust in
yourself, in God and good books and you will be never deceived or left in the
lurch. People die but books never. They are things of eternity.
Reading widens our horizon of outlook,
learning and wisdom. We become more humane, gentle, manly and knowledgeable by
reading. They give us knowledge and knowledge is power. They provide us with
various language skills. By reading our language and expression is refined,
vocabulary enriched and imagination given wings to soar and fly.
As food is essential for body so are books
for mind. They help to escape from monotony and boredom of life and thereby
prepare us for relentless and renewed struggle in our daily life. They also
discipline our minds thoughts and bodies and help us in developing
concentration. Reading is an excellent exercise in mental training.
Books serve us as friends companions and
fellow travelers. They link us with the past and present. They serve as
milestones and sign posts on the road of our life's journey. They are the great
teachers, educators and reformers. There have been renaissance, revolutions,
progress and reawakening because of books. In them lies the soul of the whole
humanity.
But selection of books is of vital
importance. The world of books is a mixed one. Like good men and evil men, there
are good books and bad ones. We should avoid the bad books and magazines. Bad
company whether of books or men is undesirable. They degrade and vitiate human
mind and cause immense harm. There are cheap, obscene, immoral and demoralizing
reading material which should be keeps at arms length. While selecting our books
we can take help of the teachers, elders, librarians, experienced friends, book
reviews etc. Cheap entertainment should never be accepted. Our preference should
always be for healthy, moral, ennobling and invigorating entertainment. It is
the reading of good books alone that can bestow upon us the best of benefits.
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